Seeking AVComposition with CMTimeMapping causes AVPlayerLayer to freeze - ios

Question

Here is a link to a GIF of the problem:
https://gifyu.com/images/ScreenRecording2017-01-25at02.20PM.gif
I'm taking a PHAsset from the camera roll, adding it to a mutable composition, adding another video track, manipulating that added track, and then exporting it through AVAssetExportSession. The result is a quicktime file with .mov file extension saved in the NSTemporaryDirectory():
guard let exporter = AVAssetExportSession(asset: mergedComposition, presetName: AVAssetExportPresetHighestQuality) else {
fatalError()
}
exporter.outputURL = temporaryUrl
exporter.outputFileType = AVFileTypeQuickTimeMovie
exporter.shouldOptimizeForNetworkUse = true
exporter.videoComposition = videoContainer
// Export the new video
delegate?.mergeDidStartExport(session: exporter)
exporter.exportAsynchronously() { [weak self] in
DispatchQueue.main.async {
self?.exportDidFinish(session: exporter)
}
}
I then take this exported file and load it into a mapper object that applies 'slow motion' to the clip based on some time mappings given to it. The result here is an AVComposition:
func compose() -> AVComposition {
let composition = AVMutableComposition(urlAssetInitializationOptions: [AVURLAssetPreferPreciseDurationAndTimingKey: true])
let emptyTrack = composition.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: AVMediaTypeVideo, preferredTrackID: kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid)
let audioTrack = composition.addMutableTrack(withMediaType: AVMediaTypeAudio, preferredTrackID: kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid)
let asset = AVAsset(url: url)
guard let videoAssetTrack = asset.tracks(withMediaType: AVMediaTypeVideo).first else { return composition }
var segments: [AVCompositionTrackSegment] = []
for map in timeMappings {
let segment = AVCompositionTrackSegment(url: url, trackID: kCMPersistentTrackID_Invalid, sourceTimeRange: map.source, targetTimeRange: map.target)
segments.append(segment)
}
emptyTrack.preferredTransform = videoAssetTrack.preferredTransform
emptyTrack.segments = segments
if let _ = asset.tracks(withMediaType: AVMediaTypeVideo).first {
audioTrack.segments = segments
}
return composition.copy() as! AVComposition
}
Then I load this file as well as the original file which has also been mapped to slowmo into AVPlayerItems to play in a AVPlayers which is connected to a AVPlayerLayers in my app:
let firstItem = AVPlayerItem(asset: originalAsset)
let player1 = AVPlayer(playerItem: firstItem)
firstItem.audioTimePitchAlgorithm = AVAudioTimePitchAlgorithmVarispeed
player1.actionAtItemEnd = .none
firstPlayer.player = player1
// set up player 2
let secondItem = AVPlayerItem(asset: renderedVideo)
secondItem.seekingWaitsForVideoCompositionRendering = true //tried false as well
secondItem.audioTimePitchAlgorithm = AVAudioTimePitchAlgorithmVarispeed
secondItem.videoComposition = nil // tried AVComposition(propertiesOf: renderedVideo) as well
let player2 = AVPlayer(playerItem: secondItem)
player2.actionAtItemEnd = .none
secondPlayer.player = player2
I then have a start and end time to loop through these videos over and over. I don't use PlayerItemDidReachEnd because i'm not interested in the end, I'm interested in the user inputed time. I even use dispatchGroup to ENSURE that both players have finished seeking before trying to replay the video:
func playAllPlayersFromStart() {
let dispatchGroup = DispatchGroup()
dispatchGroup.enter()
firstPlayer.player?.currentItem?.seek(to: startTime, toleranceBefore: kCMTimeZero, toleranceAfter: kCMTimeZero, completionHandler: { _ in
dispatchGroup.leave()
})
DispatchQueue.global().async { [weak self] in
guard let startTime = self?.startTime else { return }
dispatchGroup.wait()
dispatchGroup.enter()
self?.secondPlayer.player?.currentItem?.seek(to: startTime, toleranceBefore: kCMTimeZero, toleranceAfter: kCMTimeZero, completionHandler: { _ in
dispatchGroup.leave()
})
dispatchGroup.wait()
DispatchQueue.main.async { [weak self] in
self?.firstPlayer.player?.play()
self?.secondPlayer.player?.play()
}
}
}
The strange part here is that the original asset, which has also been mapped via my compose() function loops perfectly fine. However, the renderedVideo which has also been run through the compose() function sometimes freezes when seeking during one of the CMTimeMapping segments. The only difference between the file that freezes and the file that doesnt freeze is that one has been exported to the NSTemporaryDirectory via the AVAssetExportSession to combine the two video tracks into one. They're both the same duration. I'm also sure that it's only the video layer that is freezing and not the audio, because if I add BoundaryTimeObservers to the player that freezes it still hits them and loops. Also the audio loops properly.
To me the strangest part is that the video 'resumes' if it makes it past the spot where it paused to start the seek after a 'freeze'. I've been stuck on this for days and would really love some guidance.
Other odd things to note:
- Even though the CMTimeMapping of the original versus the exported asset are the exact same durations, you'll notice that the rendered asset's slow motion ramp is more 'choppy' than the original.
- Audio continues when video freezes.
- video almost only ever freezes during slow motion sections (caused by CMTimeMapping objects based on segments
- rendered video seems to have to play 'catch up' at the beginning. even though i'm calling play after both have finished seeking, it seems to me that the right side plays faster in the beginning as a catch up. Strange part is that the segments are the exact same, just referencing two separate source files. One located in the asset library, the other in NSTemporaryDirectory
- It seems to me that AVPlayer and AVPlayerItemStatus is 'readyToPlay' before i call play.
- It seems to 'unfreeze' if the player proceeds PAST the point that it locked up.
- I tried to add observers for 'AVPlayerItemPlaybackDidStall' but it was never called.
Cheers!

Answer 1

The problem was in the AVAssetExportSession. To my surprise, changing exporter.canPerformMultiplePassesOverSourceMediaData = true fixed the issue. Although the documentation is quite sparse and even claims 'setting this property to true may have no effect', it did seem to fix the issue. Very, very, very strange! I consider this a bug and will be filing a radar. Here are the docs on the property: canPerformMultiplePassesOverSourceMediaData

Answer 2

It seems possible that in your playAllPlayersFromStart() method that the startTime variable may have changed between the two tasks dispatched (this would be especially likely if that value updates based on scrubbing).
If you make a local copy of startTime at the start of the function, and then use it in both blocks, you may have better luck.